Land Area
China
9,596,961 km²
Largest
France
551,695 km²
5.7% of largest
China is 17.40× larger than France
Population
China
LARGEST
1.41B
PEOPLE
France
4.8% OF LARGEST
68.1M
PEOPLE
China has 20.74× the population of France
GDP
China
LARGEST
$17.96T
France
16.3% OF LARGEST
$2.94T
Armed Forces
Active Personnel
China
LARGEST
2.04M
TROOPS
France
10.0% OF LARGEST
203.85K
TROOPS
China has 9.98× the active personnel of France
Air Force
China
LARGEST
3.29K
AIRCRAFT
France
32.1% OF LARGEST
1.06K
AIRCRAFT
China has 3.11× the aircraft of France
Naval Assets
China
France
Wealth
Gold Reserves
France
LARGEST
2,437.0
Metric Tonnes
China
93.5% OF LARGEST
2,279.6
Metric Tonnes
Foreign-Exchange Reserves
China
LARGEST
$3.27T
Reserves · excl. gold
France
2.4% OF LARGEST
$78B
Reserves · excl. gold
Billionaires
China
MOST
473
billionaires
France
9% OF MOST
43
billionaires
Oil
Proven Reserves
China
LARGEST
26
Billion barrels
France
0.4% OF LARGEST
0.1
Billion barrels
Production & Consumption
China
NET IMPORTER
Production
4.1M b/d
Consumption
15.4M b/d
−11.3M b/d net
France
NET IMPORTER
Production
0.0M b/d
Consumption
1.6M b/d
−1.6M b/d net
Trade (Import/Export)
China
$3,753.1B
Exports
$3,753.1B
Imports
$3,219.3B
Trade Balance
+$533.7B
Trade Surplus
France
$1,071.1B
Exports
$1,071.1B
Imports
$1,081.5B
Trade Balance
$-10.4B
Trade Deficit
Drinks per Person
Coffee
kg / person / yr
France
consumption
China
consumption
Tea
kg / person / yr
China
consumption
France
consumption
Beer
litres / person / yr
France
consumption
China
consumption
Wine
litres / person / yr
France
consumption
China
consumption
Alcohol
litres pure alcohol / person / yr
France
consumption
China
consumption
Smoking
% of adults 15+ who smoke
France
China
Per-capita — consumption where available, else FAOSTAT supply · alcohol = litres of pure alcohol; smoking = % of adults 15+ (WHO)
Olympic Medals
France
295
Gold
331
Silver
365
Bronze
991
Total Medals
☀ Summer: 830
❄ Winter: 161
China
330
Gold
262
Silver
227
Bronze
819
Total Medals
☀ Summer: 727
❄ Winter: 92
Religious Demographics
Religious Distribution
Religious Composition by Country
China
France
Age Demographics
Median Age
France
41.7
YEARS
10
30
50
70
China
39.0
YEARS
10
30
50
70
Age Distribution
Population breakdown by age bracket (percentage)
Demographic Insights
Age Gap
France is 2.7 years older (median) than China
Youth Population
China has the highest youth population at 36.5% (under 30)
Elderly Population
France has the highest elderly population at 26.3% (60+)
Global Statistics
| Metric |
China
|
France
|
|---|---|---|
| Travel & Mobility | ||
| Passport Power visa-free destinations |
85
|
188
|
| Tourist Arrivals per year |
65.7M
|
79.4M
|
| Culture & Prestige | ||
| Nobel Laureates all-time |
8
|
75
|
| 3-Michelin-Star Restaurants current guide |
9
|
31
|
Figures as of 2026. Sources: IMF, EIA/OPEC, Henley Passport Index, UNWTO, Forbes, Michelin Guide, Nobel Foundation.
Cost of Living
|
Metric
All indices use New York City as base (100)
Lower values indicate lower costs.
|
China
|
France
|
|---|---|---|
| Cost of Living Index |
|
|
| Rent Index |
|
|
| Groceries Index |
|
|
| Restaurant Price Index |
|
|
| Local Purchasing Power |
|
|
| Common Expenses Comparison | ||
| Meal at Inexpensive Restaurant (USD) | $5 | $15 |
| Three-Course Meal for 2 (USD) | $25 | $60 |
| Monthly Rent - City Center (USD) | $600 | $1,000 |
| Monthly Rent - Outside Center (USD) | $380 | $750 |
| Monthly Utilities (USD) | $50 | $165 |
| Internet (60 Mbps, USD) | $20 | $30 |
| Monthly Public Transport Pass (USD) | $30 | $70 |
Historical Data
Basic Information
| Metric | China | France |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 1412600000 | 68100000 |
| Area (sq km) | 9596961 | 551695 |
| Capital | Beijing | Paris |
| Official Language | Mandarin Chinese | French |
| Currency | Renminbi (Yuan, CNY) | Euro (EUR) |
| Government Type | Unitary one-party socialist republic | Unitary semi-presidential republic |
Military Strength
| Metric | China | France |
|---|---|---|
| Active Personnel | 2,035,000 | 203,850 |
| Reserve Personnel | 510,000 | 35,000 |
| Total Military Personnel | 2,545,000 | 240,000 |
| Defense Budget (USD) | $292,000,000,000 | $55,000,000,000 |
| Tanks | 5,651 | 406 |
| Armored Vehicles | 35,000 | 6,300 |
| Self-Propelled Artillery | 4,120 | 109 |
| Towed Artillery | 6,246 | 12 |
| Rocket Projectors | 2,430 | 13 |
Economy
| Metric | China | France |
|---|---|---|
| GDP (USD) | $17,963,200,000,000 | $2,936,700,000,000 |
| GDP Per Capita (USD) | $12,720 | $43,120 |
| Unemployment Rate (%) | 4.0% | 7.4% |
| GINI Index (Income Inequality) | 38.5 | 32.4 |
| Currency | Renminbi (Yuan, CNY) | Euro (EUR) |
| Direct Currency Comparison (1 unit of row currency equals X units of column currency) | ||
| China Currency | 1.00 (Same) | 7.7353 Stronger |
| France Currency | 0.1293 Weaker | 1.00 (Same) |
| USD Base Exchange Rates (All calculations use USD as the base currency) | ||
| Currency | CNY | EUR |
| 1 USD equals | 6.8086 CNY Updated: 2026-06-27 | 0.8802 EUR Updated: 2026-06-27 |
Interesting Comparisons & Trivia
Did You Know?
China is 17.4 times larger in area than France.
That's a massive difference!
China has 20.7 times more people than France.
With over a billion people, that's more than 1/8 of humanity!
France has the highest GDP per capita at $43,120 among the selected countries.
China has the largest economy with a GDP of
$17.96 trillion.
China has the largest active military personnel with 2,035,000 troops.
China has the largest air force with 3,285 aircraft.
China has the largest navy with 777 vessels.
China Fact: China produces more than 1.4 billion tons of rice annually, feeding nearly 20% of the world's population.
China vs France: Key Comparisons
Economy: China's GDP of $18.0T is 6.1x larger than France's $2.9T — both among the world's largest economies.
Population: China's population of 1.4B is 20.7x larger than France's 68M.
Area: China covers 9,596,961 km², making it 17.4x larger than France.
Military: China fields 2Million active troops vs France's 200Thousand.
Trade: China runs a trade surplus of $534B while France has a trade deficit of $10B.
Life Expectancy: France leads with a life expectancy of 83 years vs China's 77.
Data compiled from World Bank, IMF, Global Firepower, SIPRI, Numbeo, and Pew Research.
Last updated June 2026.
Sources & methodology